Seaco, which boasts a massive 2.4m TEU fleet of containers, has already formed a collaboration with Sydney-based Container Rotation Systems (CRS), which offers equipment like tipplers and container spreaders.

Peter Folkard, regional vice president for Oceania & Americas for Seaco said “We are delighted to be working in association with CRS due to the compatibility and capability of their automatic lid lifting and container rotation system compatible with our half height containers.”

Across the globe, many miners are considering putting ores and concentrates in containers. While the technique does not stack up economically for the largest coal and iron ore projects, it does offer a quick route to production for miners with smaller deposits which might fail to justify massive investment in fixed infrastructure like shiploaders and conveyors. Short term leases will effectively allow miners to turn on production, using containers, at low cost at times of high commodity prices.

ABHR will publish a more detailed story on Seaco’s and Container Rotation Systems’ activities in its May/June print edition.